#RVAPride: Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

#RVA Pride is what keeps us in Richmond. #RVAPride is what we love and do in the city. #RVAPride is businesses, people, place, and things that support the LGBT community here in Richmond. #RVAPride is a campaign to help bring LGBT people to Richmond. Get in on the fun, use #RVAPride on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and help grow this city into the space we want it to be.

————————-

On a trip to Louis Ginter Botanical Garden you are sure to be graced with the beauty and precision of an expertly gardened and maintained oasis of varying flora. They offer over ten different gardens on their property, ranging from the central garden to the children’s garden, in total boasting over 50 acres of garden to their visitors. A Botanical Garden has been on the property since 1926. The impressive, domed conservatory is the only one of it’s kind in the mid-Atlantic. They offer multiple dining options, making it the perfect place to spend the day, get lost in nature, maybe learn something, and enjoy the #RVAPride at Louis Ginter Botanical Garden. Beth Monroe, Public Relations & Marketing Director for Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden spoke with us about why this famed garden space has #RVAPride.

1 – Why are you participating in this campaign?

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden’s passion is bringing people and plants together to improve our community. The gardens are known for their beauty, but we have so much more: dining, shopping, wine-tastings, concerts, art exhibits and great events such as our holiday light show Dominion GardenFest of Lights. We see the garden as “common ground” – a place where all are welcome.

2 – If you were to bring an LGBT friend/family member to Richmond, why would you take them to your establishment? Where else would you take them here in Richmond?

The Garden is a great place to bring people because it has such appeal for people of all ages and backgrounds – and there are blooms and interest year-round! Even people who are not gardeners or plant lovers appreciate the chance to enjoy dazzling beauty and the restorative power of nature. Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is made up of more than a dozen themed gardens and it’s designed to entice you to explore pathways and find surprises along the way. Gardens are “living art” so a pairing with the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is a natural. Also, since Lewis Ginter built The Jefferson Hotel, a visit to that wonderful establishment is always a treat.

3 – why are you proud to support or be a member of the LGBT community here in Richmond?

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is a vital, vibrant and visionary force in the Richmond community. We’re educating more than 12,000 schoolchildren a year, growing more than 6 tons of fresh produce for the Food Bank and “Sharing the Garden” with hundreds of guests from need-based populations each year. We’re not defined solely by our plants, but also by our people – staff, volunteers, members, supporters and guests. We’re proud to support the LGBT community in Richmond because it is the right thing to do.